Endangered and Threatened Wildlife
and Plants;

5-Year Review of Five
Midwestern Species

Federal Register Notice

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife
and Plants; 5-Year Review of Five
Midwestern Species

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.

ACTION: Notice of review.

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (Service), announce a
5-year review of gray bat (Myotis
grisecens), Iowa Pleistocene snail
(Discus macclintocki), decurrent false
aster (Boltonia decurrens), Pitcher’s
thistle (Cirsium pitcheri), and western
prairie fringed orchid (Platanthera
praeclara) under section 4(c)(2)(A) of
the Endangered Species Act of 1973
(Act) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). We
request any information on the
aforementioned species since their
original listings that has a bearing on
their classification as threatened or
endangered.

A 5-year review is a periodic process
conducted to ensure that the
classification of a listed species is
appropriate. It is based on the best
scientific and commercial data available
at the time of the review. We will make
a finding of whether these species are
properly classified under section
4(c)(2)(B) of the Act, based on the
results of these 5-year reviews.

DATES: Information must be received no
later than May 30, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Submit information to the
appropriate U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service office. See SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION for complete addresses.

Individuals who are hearing impaired
or speech impaired may call the Federal
Relay Service at (800) 877–8337 for TTY
assistance.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the
Act, the Service maintains a list of
endangered and threatened wildlife and
plant species (List) at 50 CFR 17.11 and
17.12. Amendments to the List through
final rules are published in the Federal
Register. The Lists of wildlife and
plants are available on our Internet site
at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/
wildlife/html#species. Section 4(c)(2)(A)
of the Act requires that we conduct a
review of listed species at least once
every five years. Section 4(c)(2)(B)
requires that we determine

(1) Whether
a species no longer meets the definition
of threatened or endangered and should
be removed from the List (delisted);

(2)
whether a species more properly meets
the definition of threatened and should
be reclassified from endangered to
threatened; or

(3) whether a species
more properly meets the definition of
endangered and should be reclassified
from threatened to endangered.

Using
the best scientific and commercial data
available, a species will be considered
for delisting if the data substantiates
that the species is neither endangered
nor threatened for one or more of the
following reasons:

(1) The species is
considered extinct;

(2) the species is
considered to be recovered; and/or

(3)
the original data available when the
species was listed, or the interpretation
of such data, were in error.

Any change
in Federal classification requires a
separate rulemaking process. The
regulations in 50 CFR 424.21 require
that we publish a notice in the Federal
Register announcing those species
currently under active review. This
notice announces our active review of
gray bat, Iowa Pleistocene snail,
decurrent false aster, Pitcher’s thistle,
and western prairie fringed orchid.
Table 1 provides a summary of the
listing information for the species under
active review.

TABLE 1.—LISTING INFORMATION SUMMARY

Common name

Scientific name

Status

Historic range

Final rule

Gray bat

Myotis grisescens

Endangered .......................

Central and Southeastern
U.S.A.

Apr. 28, 1976
(41 FR 17736)

Iowa Pleistocene snail

Discus macclintocki

Endangered

U.S.A. (IA)

July 3, 1978
(43 FR 28932)

Decurrent false aster

Boltonia decurrens

Threatened

U.S.A. (IL, MO)

Nov. 14, 1988
(53 FR 45858)

Pitcher’s thistle

Cirsium pitcheri

Threatened

U.S.A. (IL, IN, MI, WI)
Canada (ON.).

July 18, 1988
(53 FR 27137)

Western prairie fringed orchid

Platanthera praeclara

Threatened

U.S.A. (IA, MN, MO, NE,
ND, OK, KS, SD), Canada
(MB)

Sept. 28, 1989
(54 FR 39857)

Public Solicitation of New Information
To ensure that the 5-year reviews are
complete and based on the best
available scientific and commercial
information, we are soliciting new
information from the public, concerned
governmental agencies, tribes, the
scientific community, industry,
environmental entities, and any other
interested parties concerning the status
of the species identified in Table 1.

A
5-year review considers the best
scientific and commercial data and all
new information that has become
available since the listing determination
or most recent status review. Requested
information includes

(A) Species
biology, including but not limited to,
population trends, distribution,
abundance, demographics, and genetics;

(B) habitat conditions, including but not
limited to, amount, distribution, and
suitability;

(C) conservation measures
that have been implemented that benefit
the species;

(D) threat status and trends;
and

(E) other new information, data, or
corrections, including but not limited
to, taxonomic or nomenclature changes,
identification of erroneous information
contained in the List, and improved
analytical methods.

You may submit your comments and
materials to the appropriate Field
Supervisor or Refuge Manager (see ADDRESSES below) no later than the
close of the comment period (see DATES)
to allow us adequate time to conduct
these 5-year reviews. If you do not
respond to this request for information,
but subsequently possess information
on the status of any of these species, we
are eager to receive new information
regarding federally listed species at any
time.

Our practice is to make comments,
including names and home addresses of
respondents, available for public review
during regular business hours.
Respondents may request that we
withhold a respondent’s identity, as
allowable by law. If you wish us to
withhold your name or address, you
must state this request prominently at
the beginning of your comment. We will
not, however, consider anonymous
comments. To the extent consistent with
applicable law, we will make all
submissions from organizations or
businesses, and from individuals
identifying themselves as
representatives or officials of
organizations or businesses, available
for public inspection in their entirety.
Information received in response to this
notice and review will be available for
public inspection, by appointment,
during normal business hours (see ADDRESSES below).

Submit information to the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, Ecological
Services Field Supervisor or Driftless
Area National Wildlife Refuge Manager
at the following ADDRESSES:

5. Western prairie fringed orchid: Twin Cities Ecological Services Field
Office, 4101 East 80th Street,
Bloomington, Minnesota 55425–1665.
Authority: This document is published
under the authority of the Endangered
Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C.
1531 et seq.).